I hate mindless regulations, but being one of those obese travelers, I am in misery the whole trip, and agonize for any passenger next to me. I must have isle seat to hang out and get hit by cart a few times every flight. Can't remember the last time I lowered a tray table. Am middle class family man that can't afford premium seats, would so appreciate another inch here or there.
Say the cross-country fare for each of 40 seats is $400. That totals $16,000 revenue. To get the same revenue from 24 seats would be $666.66 per seat. Yes rather more than $20... Or let's say $100 a seat for a short hop. That totals $4000 revenue for 40 seats. For 24 seats it would have to be $166.66 per seat... Makes me wonder where that $20 even came from! Then there's the cost of reconfiguration. Will airlines what to recover that cost too?
I am fatter and I suffer in "standard" size seats, can't lower tray table, etc. But just as bad is anyone so unlucky as to get a seat next to mine. God forbid I'm in a middle seat! Now we have 2 or 3 people miserable. Since there are indeed more fat people now, for everyone's comfort, the seats do need to go back to previous tight configurations at least.
